Bill Adkins was born in Jenkins, a small, southeastern Kentucky town in Letcher County. He now resides in Williamstown. He received a bachelor's degree from Cumberland College and a law degree from Northern Kentucky University.

Before college, he worked in the railroad and coal mining industries.

Adkins is a practicing attorney.

He and his wife, Betty, have seven children.

Bill Adkins is vying for Kentucky's 4th Congressional District seat being vacated by Republican Rep. Geoff Davis, who announced his retirement in 2012. He faces an uphill climb for the hotly contested seat, in which Republican Thomas Massie is considered the overwhelming favorite.

"The winners today are those without insurance because now they have a chance at affordable healthcare when all the reforms are in place in 2014," Adkins said in a news release after the decision was released.

On his website, Adkins uses the slogan, "Protecting Medicare and the Middle Class." He is against privatization of Social Security and Medicare.

He supports improving health care and mental health services for veterans, and calls for a tax structure "where a waitress isn't paying a greater percentage of her income in taxes than a multi-millionaire."

Adkins favors pulling U.S forces out of Afghanistan, saying on his website that the "mission's goals were long ago lost in the fog of war and the cost far outweighs any benefit."

He also supports ending foreign aid to "countries that do not support America," citing Afghanistan as an example.

He is a Second Amendment supporter and gun owner, his website says.

Adkins supports domestic oil drilling "where it makes sense and is not a threat to our national treasures and environment." He also backs initiatives to create new energy sources and what he calls responsible coal mining.

He contends the Northern Kentucky Greater Cincinnati International Airport has been neglected by Washington, making it one of the most expensive airports in the country for the flying public. He says on his website he will work to bring more competition to the airport and ensure airline regulations are fair to consumers.